2 month old in 1st percentile for weight. So discouraged!

My daughter weighed 8lbs 8 oz at her two month check up, which puts her in the 1st percentile for weight. She was 6-14 at birth and 6-8 when we left the hospital. Breastfeeding has been difficult for us, and now to know that she is struggling to gain weight is so discouraging. I just started supplementing with formula because I am concerned she is not getting enough from me, but this is not the route I want to take. I would like her to be EBF for as long as possible, especially while I'm still at home with her.

I was so surprised that she was in the 1st percentile because my husband and I are not small people, nor were we small babies. I am worried that maybe there is an underlying issue causing her slow weight gain, because ever since she was born she has been extremely fussy, cries like she is in pain, has a lot of gas, and has always had mucous-y poops that are more orangey-brown than mustard yellow. Sometimes they are greenish. I tried eliminating dairy for about 2 weeks, but I didn't see an improvement. I am wondering if she could have another allergy. I also thought I had oversupply in the early weeks, because of her gas, fussiness, and occasional green poops. But now I've gone to the opposite extreme and am concerned my supply has gone down because of supplementing with formula. (Today when I pumped I hardly got 1/2 an ounce). Also when I feed her lately she stops actively swallowing after the milk lets down. She then either falls asleep or gets frustrated and latches on and off and turns her head back and forth frantically.

Please help! Any advice is appreciated. I desperately want her to gain weight and be a happy, content baby.

Re: 2 month old in 1st percentile for weight. So discourage

First off I want to say that you need to keep in mind there are healthy babies at every percentile. Is your doctor using a weight chart specifically for breastfed babies? Because babies who are breastfed grow differently than formula fed babies.

Is your LO meeting milestones? Lots of wet diapers and poops? Is she healthy other than the low weight?

How much formula are you giving your LO? Do you pump after each time you give formula to tell your body to make more milk? Do you feed in a bottle or have you tried a supplemental nursing system (SNS)? It allows you to supplement at the breast so the baby gets food as well as getting the breast stimulation to trigger a prolactin response to trigger more milk production. Breastfeeding is a supply demand thing, so the formula feeding can negatively affect your supply.

I had issues with my DD, and gave her on bottle of formula a night for a while and she had green poop and I believe it ws the formula because it stopped when I weaned her off the supplements.

Also have you tried other ways to increase your supply like herbs or medications?

Another thing you can do to increase the caloric intake is to give your LO double cream bottles. If you are pumping collect the cream from one bottle and add it to another and then feed that to your LO. This will increase the calories.

Hang in there Mamma, it will get better.

Mirkka

Mama to DD born September 7, 2010, and DS born October 28, 2012 and Wife to DH July 5, 2008

Re: 2 month old in 1st percentile for weight. So discourage

According to the WHO charts, it looks to me like she's closer to the 3rd percentile than the 1rst, though obviously that's still small, and she's slipped a little in the charts (it's typical to go from the lowest weight after dropping, so 6-8 is your starting point). What does your doctor think? Is he/she worried?

I think the first thing to do is figure out if you have low supply and/or if your baby is having trouble getting milk from you (e.g. due to a poor latch). You might also look into whether she's suffering from reflux that may be interfering with her wanting to nurse. Do you get pain when she's nursing? Are you seeing swallowing before the milk lets down? I may be wrong, but I think swallowing indicates that milk is being transferred, even if it's before you feel a letdown. Can you make an appointment with a lactation consultant and/or do a before/after weighing to see how much she is getting at a feed (you'll need a specialty scale to do this). Being low on the charts doesn't in and of itself indicate a problem (some babies are just small), and even if there is reason for concern, getting breastfeeding back on track is the best solution in the long run.

Re: 2 month old in 1st percentile for weight. So discourage

Thanks for the advice. She is otherwise healthy and meeting all her milestones, so doctor was not worried, and didnt even push supplementing with formula, which I thought he would.

I have been giving her 2 oz of formula by bottle if she seems hungry after nursing. Usually 2 or three bottles a day.The supplemental nursing system sounds interesting. Where can you get it?

I just took fenugreek for the first time today, so hopefully it will help. I would really like to start pumping enough to supplement her with breast milk rather than formula. I just spoke to a friend today who said she gets 6-7 oz at one session! Is that normal? I'm so jealous! Any advice on when, how frequent and how long to pump?